Time
by MoonRose91
Summary: Warlic is very old and, some days, he feels every second of it. -Part One of The Mage Tower Series-


A/N: I do not own the characters or game that are portrayed in this fic. I do, however, play it as often as I can. I am also slow in the story lines so...yeah. I get confused easily, so it is just easier for me to go off of what I play at the moment. I am sure when I catch up with the story line, I'll be going 'wha?'

Warlic is very old and, some days, he feels every second of it.

These days usually start with him having to fight off Cysero's dirty laundry.

"Cysero, come get your…is this your _sock_? And how did a Bugbear get in here? CYSERO!" Warlic shouted and he didn't even twitch, beyond sending the Bugbear back to where it belonged.

"Aww, why did you send Mr. Puff away?" Cysero questioned and Warlic wouldn't, couldn't, comment on the name.

What had he been thinking, agreeing to let Cysero move into the tower with him some years ago?

*~*~*~*~*~*_Some Years Ago…_*~*~*~*~*~*

Warlic is very old and he can usually feel every second of it.

He has seen wars won and lost, has had love and lost it as well.

He's also lost a best friend.

Standing in his tower, overlooking all of Lore, he has to wonder what he's still doing here.

He has no students to pass knowledge along to and he has no one who will miss him, not really.

No friends to wish him back.

Well, there is Lady Celestia, but she's preparing for the Hatching of the Eggs from the Boxes of Black and White.

And Artix, but he's young and Warlic is not sure that he _counts_ because Warlic knows him too well, through Lady Celestia.

He's also an undead slayer, meaning he is away most of the time in places that house the undead and Warlic doesn't get to see him all that often anyway.

Warlic doesn't even pause as he lifts up a now shrieking kettle without a care for his hands, which don't even feel the slightest twinge of pain that should come with picking up burning hot metal, and pours the hot water into the teapot.

Five minutes later, without looking up from preparing his own cup of tea he asked, "Sugar or honey?"

"Two cubes of sugar please Warlic," Lady Celestia responded and he easily dropped both into her cup.

"How are you today, Lady Celestia?" he greeted.

"I am well. The boxes are safe, for now," she responded and Warlic gave a nod.

"How are you, Warlic?"

Warlic didn't pause as he responded, "Old."

Lady Celestia hummed softly and glanced around the tower. "Maybe you should get a roommate. This tower is so large, you don't even use half of it. And there are two doors. This tower was known as Mage Tower long before you took up residence," she commented and Warlic gave her a patient, if oddly irritated look.

"I won't open my home to just anyone," he stated.

Lady Celestia sipped her tea before she set it on the saucer, twisting it slightly so it made that irritating noise.

"I may know of someone. He needs a place to stay when he's in Falconreach on business. He likes to travel, so he probably won't bother you…too much," Lady Celestia stated and Warlic glanced at her.

He didn't like the way she was looking.

She had her manipulating face on.

And was using her manipulating voice.

He disliked it when she thought she could manipulate him.

However, as always, he walked right into it.

"What is he?" Warlic asked.

"Weaponsmith. To my knowledge, he's not a mage in the classical sense, but he might as well be."

Warlic gave a nod and let out a low sigh.

"All right, I'll meet him," Warlic responded and Lady Celestia gave him her patented 'adorable' smile before she returned to her tea.

Once the tea was gone, she was as well.

And Warlic had to wonder what he had walked into.

The next morning, Warlic found himself talking to one Cysero, Weaponsmith.

He seemed…all right.

Aside from the fact he kept going into tangents.

And seemed to confuse himself.

And was tweaking a weapon as he talked only to have it blow up on him.

But, for the first time in a _very_ long time, Warlic didn't feel _old_, as if the centuries were weighing him down.

"Rent is due on the second Thursday of every month," Warlic stated.

Cysero seemed to grin…wider, if that were possible.

"Right. Which side of the Tower is mine?" he answered and Warlic merely pointed.

Cysero went to his half of the tower and Warlic stood up, staring out the window.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

He revised his statement not an hour later when he had to fight off his first _living conglomeration of socks_.

By the end of the third hour that Cysero had been an official resident of Mage Tower, Warlic was beginning to think Lady Celestia had played some horrible prank on him.

*~*~*~*~*~*_Present Day_*~*~*~*~*~*

Warlic didn't hesitate to blast Cysero as he began to prattle on about how his _sentient dirty laundry_ wasn't such a bad thing, nor his fault.

This brought about Cysero deciding that _this_ was the time to start testing some of his new weaponry and the resulting fight shook the very stones in the foundation of the tower.

The battle ended not with a victor, but with the need to drive back the wave of dirty laundry monsters.

"After this is over, Cysero, I am painting a line down the center of this tower and we are not going to cross over into each others' domain until such time as you can control your laundry," Warlic stated and Cysero just beamed.

In Sunbreeze Cove, Lady Celestia smiled into her teacup, glad to see two old friends having found that friendship they so desperately needed in each other.

After all, order could not function without chaos and chaos would destroy itself without order.

It is a delicate balance, but Lady Celestia is sure they will find it.

Eventually.


End file.
